Brooklyn man’s shooting death was revenge for 15-year-old boy’s slay hours earlier: sources

Investigators judge an ex-con fatally changeable extracurricular a Brooklyn flat gathering was killed successful retaliation for the gang-related slaying of a 15-year-old boy conscionable hours earlier, law-enforcement sources said Thursday

Nickalos Mitchell, 21, was murdered Tuesday evening extracurricular a Prospect Lefferts Gardens gathering little than 3 hours aft the lad was changeable to decease over a standoff his parent believed was sparked by “a look.”

No arrests person been made successful either shooting and it was not instantly wide if the slain antheral was the teen’s killer. But investigators judge Mitchell’s decease was successful immoderate mode payback for the slaying of the boy, instrumentality enforcement sources said.

Memorial candles for Nickalos Mitchell extracurricular the victim’s flat building. (Julian Roberts-Grmela / New York Daily News)

The concatenation of unit began erstwhile the boy, Heath Campbell, was changeable doubly successful the backmost and his 16-year-old pal was blasted successful the enarthrosis successful the lobby of their gathering connected E. 93rd St. adjacent Rutland Road successful East Flatbush astir 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, cops said.

Campbell died astatine Kings County Hospital, portion the older lad was taken to Brookdale University Hospital and is expected to recover.

At the hospital, Joy Smith, 46, shared last moments with her slain son.

“I asked the doctor, ‘Can I interaction him?’” the grieving parent told The News Wednesday. “I was conscionable rubbing his legs, his hands. I was rubbing his feet. I was kissing his look and his forehead.”

Heath was a sophomore astatine Brooklyn Institute of Liberal Arts. Cops accidental helium and his wounded person person nary transgression records but the shooting is believed to beryllium pack related.

Heath’s parent says different person of her sons, who witnessed the shooting but was not struck, told her the slayer snarled, “What are you looking at?” earlier opening fire

“That’s each I know,” said Smith. “It was implicit a look.”

Cops accidental Heath was smoking weed with his 2 pals erstwhile the gunman stepped wrong the lobby and opened fire. Two radical were seen fleeing.

Less than a mile away, Mitchell was changeable aggregate times successful the backmost extracurricular an flat gathering connected Lefferts Ave. adjacent New York Ave. astir 6 p.m., cops said. A witnesser told The News shots rang retired aft a ample combat involving the victim.

Medics rushed Mitchell to Kings County Hospital, wherever helium died.

“Nickalos was a vibrant soul,” his heartbroken mother, Stephanie Ozuluonye, 46, said Thursday. “He likes to ace jokes. He likes to look astatine the elemental broadside of beingness … He loved to walk clip with the family. He liked to vibe with his family.”

A registered enactment offender, Mitchell had ties to Brooklyn gangs and a transgression past that included a condemnation for raping an big pistillate erstwhile helium was 15, authorities said. He besides had 4 equipped robbery arrests connected his record, constabulary sources say. He was conditionally released from authorities situation by parole past March.

Shooting unfortunate Nickalos Mitchell celebrating his 21st birthday. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Ozuluonye)

Mitchell’s parent said her lad was getting his beingness backmost connected way and pursuing his godfather into masonry operation work.

“He went to church, helium got baptized, helium was a portion of a alloy cookware radical going from religion to church.” Ozuluonye said. “He adjacent played alloy cookware astatine his (high school) graduation … He ever craved information, accusation connected however to amended himself arsenic a young man.”

Victim Heath Campbell (Photo courtesy of Joy Smith)

Law enforcement sources said Mitchell had ties to the Babiiez gang, but his parent powerfully denied that.

“Nickalos was not successful nary gang. He ne'er been successful immoderate pack and helium ne'er wanted to beryllium successful a gang.” Ozuluonye said.

“He does not bash initiation and each these things. He mislaid his beingness and helium mislaid his beingness unfairly. Someone took it distant with a weapon. Nickalos was a kid that was afloat of life.”

She described getting the telephone her lad had been shot.

“I got a telephone from a household member. They asked maine if I’m sitting down. I said to them, ‘Please, I don’t privation to perceive immoderate atrocious news.’ That’s however I reacted. I said, ‘Just archer maine what happened.’ I wanted them to conscionable get to the chase. They told maine Nickalos has been changeable and that he’s heading to the infirmary and I request to get determination ASAP.”

By the clip she got to the infirmary her lad had died.

“I didn’t privation to perceive the news,” she said. “When I saw the reactions of my nephew and my sister’s hubby and past my sister balled retired and started screaming and crying, I knew what happened.”

Dozens of candles crowded a memorial for Mitchell extracurricular his location successful the Bushwick Houses.

“Nickolas was a bully kid,” said a 28-year-old antheral who gave his sanction arsenic Mike who grew up with the victim. “He’s loved by everyone successful the neighborhood. He was successful the process of starting his ain fiscal business. He ever had concern ideas. All of his friends are decidedly hurting.”

Memorial candles for Nickalos Mitchell extracurricular the victim’s flat building. (Julian Roberts-Grmela / New York Daily News)

Ozuluonye said she got a telephone from a household subordinate aft Mitchell was shot.

“I conscionable tried to clasp myself together, you know, due to the fact that I person asthma and I person 2 different children and my husband,” she said. “I cognize my lad wouldn’t privation thing to hap to me. I’m conscionable trying to beryllium beardown for him adjacent though he’s not here.”

Mitchell’s parent said the weapon unit has to stop.

“I consciousness similar this weapon, it should ne'er person been created,” Ozuluonye said. “I recognize it stops atrocious men. I recognize they usage it for protection. But it gets into the incorrect hands.”

“Back successful the day, if idiosyncratic has to person a fight, you combat it retired and whitethorn the champion antheral win,” she added. “But present it’s, ‘I’ll get you from down and I’m going to usage this firearm due to the fact that I can. You cognize that idiosyncratic erstwhile they (die), they don’t ever travel back, ne'er ever successful life.”

With Julian Roberts-Grmela and Kerry Burke